School-Based Decision Makingcouncil (Sbdm) Bylaws
LIVINGSTON COUNTY
MIDDLE SCHOOL
SCHOOL-BASED DECISION MAKINGCOUNCIL (SBDM) BYLAWS
September 2000
Revised 2005
Revised 2009
Revised 2012
Revised 2015
ARTICLE I. PURPOSE
ARTICLE II. MISSION
ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP
A. COMPOSITION
B. REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERSHIP
C. ELECTIONS
D. REMOVAL OF MEMBERS
E. FILLING VACANCIES
F. TERMS OF OFFICE
G. NON-VOTING MEMBERS
ARTICLE IV. DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND COUNCIL MEMBERS
A. ELECTION OF OFFICERS
B. CHAIR
C. VICE CHAIR
D. SECRETARY
E. COUNCIL MEMBERS
ARTICLE V. COMMITTEES
A. PURPOSE
B. APPOINTMENT OF COMMITTEES
C. MEMBERSHIP AND ELECTION OF CHAIR
D. DECISION MAKING
E. DUTIES
F. MEETINGS
G. STANDING COMMITTEES
ARTICLE VI. SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS
A. REGULAR MEETINGS
B. SPECIAL MEETINGS
ARTICLE VII. CONDUCT OF MEETINGS
A. QUORUM
B. ATTENDANCE AT MEETINGS
C. CLOSED SESSIONS
D. MATERIALS PRESENT AT COUNCIL MEETINGS
E. AGENDA
F. DISCUSSION OF AGENDA ITEMS
G. DECISION MAKING PROCESS
H. ALTERNATIVE TO CONSENSUS
I. CRITERIA FOR MAJORITY VOTE
ARTICLE VIII. MINUTES AND OTHER COUNCIL RECORDS
A. MINUTES TO BE KEPT AND APPROVED
B. COUNCIL RECORDS AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC INSPECTION
C. REQUESTS FOR COUNCIL RECORDS & RETENTION SCHEDULE
ARTICLE IX. APPEALS OF SCHOOL COUNCIL DECISIONS
A. REQUEST
B. SCHEDULE
C. HEARING
D. DECISION
E. REPORT
ARTICLE X. AMENDMENTS
- AMENDMENTS TO COUNCIL BY-LAWS
ARTICLE XI.COMMUNICATION
- NETWORK
- PUBLICATIONS
- NOTIFICATION
ARTICLE 1: PURPOSE
The purpose of the Livingston County Middle School SBDM Council is to address the academic, social and emotional needs of our students by setting school policy and making other required decisions that will enhance student achievement and help each student meet the goals established by the school council, consistent with state law. The school council will assess, monitor, and evaluate the policies and programs of LivingstonCountyMiddle School. The council shall create an environment that will enhance student achievement in the school (as required by KRS 160.345).
ARTICLE II.MISSION
Our mission as the faculty, staff and parents of LivingstonCountyMiddle School is to enable and assist each student in achieving established program, grade, or subject area objectives necessary to be successful in the next grade or program level. We accept this responsibility and will achieve it by teaching all students in a manner that will enable them to achieve proficiency on the state accountability process, regardless of socio-economic status, gender, race, or previous academic performance.
Decision-making will be guided by student needs and the school’s vision, as well as the overall mission of specific programs. When possible, decisions will be based on applicable data. When making decisions, the council will give priority to improvement plan goals and strategies.
ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP
A. COMPOSITION
1. The school council shall consist of the principal, three teacher members, and two parent members (as required by KRS 160.345).
2. If the school reaches 8 percent or more minority student enrollment on the previous October 1, and there is no minority member elected in the initial elections and the school does not have a minority principal, a special election shall be conducted by the principal to elect a minority parent to serve on the school council (as required by KRS 160.345). All parents may vote in this election.
3. In the event a special election is needed, a minority teacher from the school’s staff shall be elected by the teachers. If there are no minority teachers on staff at the school, the teachers shall elect a non-minority teacher to represent the interests of the minority students in the school (as required by KRS 160.345).
4. If there is a minority teacher on staff and he or she does not wish to serve on the
council, the seat shall remain vacant until filled by a minority teacher (as required by KRS 160.345).
B. REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERSHIP
1. All Members. No one may serve on the school council who has a legal conflict ofinterest as designated by KRS 45A.340 except the salary paid to district employees. New members (those with less than one year of service) must complete six (6) hours of training from a Kentucky Department of Education endorsed trainer. Experienced members (those with more than one year of service) must complete three (3) hours of training from a Kentucky Department of Education endorsed training provider each year. (Required by KRS 160.345.)
2. Teacher Members: Teacher council members must possess certification required for their position as a basis for employment in Kentucky public schools. Itinerant teachers may nominate, serve, and vote in our school. Principals or assistant principals may not serve as teacher council members. (Required by KRS 160.345.)
3. Parent Members: Parent council members must be the parent, step parent or foster parent of a child who is pre-registered to attend the school during the term of office they are seeking. Legal guardians may serve as parent members if the pre-registered child lives with them. Parent council members may not be employed at the school or be the relative (father, mother, brother, sister, husband, wife, son, daughter, aunt, uncle, son-in-law or daughter-in law) of someone who is employed at the school. Parent members also may not be employed by the district central office or be the relative of anyone who is. Parent members may not be school board members or their spouses. (Required by KRS 160.345.)
C. ELECTIONS
1. Parent Members: Annual elections shall be conducted between the 1st day of March and the last day of May by the school’s PTSO or Parent Committee (if no PTSO exists) for the purpose of electing two parent council members. The president of the PTSO (or designee) or the Parent Committee Chairperson (or designee) shall notify the principal in writing of the two parents elected within 24 hours of the final vote. Eligible voters are parents whose children are pre-registered to attend the school during the term of office. The 2 parent nominees with the most votes shall serve as parent representatives on the council. Annual elections will be held in the lobby outside the main office.
2. Minority Parent Members: If the school has 8 percent or more minority students
enrolled as of October 1 of the preceding year, the principal shall conduct an election for a minority parent member to the school council in the event a minoritymember is not elected during regular elections. The principal shall conduct a special election for a minority parent member by:
Calling for nominations
Notifying all parents in writing of date, time, and location of the election
Conducting the election by ballot and counting the votes
The nominee with the most votes shall be the minority parent council member. All
parents are eligible to vote in this election. (Required by KRS 160.345)
3. Teacher Members: Teachers conduct their own elections as per KRS 160.345.
Annual elections shall be conducted between the 1st day of March and the last day of May for the purpose of electing threeteacher council members. Teacher members must be elected by a simple majority(more than one half) of the number of teachers assigned to the school. The process that teachers may use to elect their representatives should address the following areas and be established by teachers:
a. Nomination
b. Preparation of Ballot
c. Elections
d. Absentee Ballots
e. Procedures after First Round Ballots
4. Minority Teacher Members: If an election must be conducted to elect a minorityparent member, a minority teacher member shall be selected by the teachers to serve on the council. If there is no minority teacher on staff who will accept the council seat, the seat will remain vacant until such time as a minority teacher can be selected. If there are no minority teachers employed at the school, the teachers shall take nominations and conduct a special election for an additional teacher council member from among the certified staff at the school. (Required by KRS 160.345.)
5. Term Limits: No term limits shall be imposed on school council members who are nominated and elected to consecutive one-year terms (as required by KRS 160.345).
D. REMOVAL OF MEMBERS
1. According to KRS 156.132, the chief state school officer may recommend removal of a school council member whom he has reason to believe is guilty of immorality, misconduct in office, incompetence, willful neglect of duty, or nonfeasance.
2. A member of a school council may be removed from the council for cause, after an opportunity for hearing before the local board, by a vote of 4/5 of the membership of the board of education after the recommendation of the chief state school officer pursuant to KRS 156.132. Written notices setting out the charges for removal shall be spread on the minutes of the board and given to the member of the school council. KRS 160.347
3. A member may also be removed by the Kentucky Board of Education, pursuant to KRS 160.345 (9); if they engage in a pattern of practice which is detrimental to or circumvents school-based decision making.
E. FILLING VACANCIES
If a member of the council resigns or is removed from office, another member shall be elected in a special election held not more than one month after the vacancy occurs. The person elected in the special election shall serve the remainder of the term until July 1, and be eligible for re-election vacancy. Elections will follow the same procedures as regular elections.
F. TERMS OF OFFICE
The terms of parent and teacher members shall begin on July 1 and end on June 30. Between the date of the elections and July 1, members-elect may attend all council meetings.
G. NON-VOTING MEMBERS
Non-voting members will not be elected to the council.
ARTICLE IV. DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND COUNCIL MEMBERS
A. ELECTION OF OFFICERS
Officers shall include Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary.
The vice chair of the school council shall be elected each July by council members and shall serve for one year. Re-election is permitted.
If an officer resigns his or her position, thecouncil shall conduct a vote at that meeting to fill the position with another councilmember.
A motion to seek an alternative model allowing a council member other than theprincipal to serve as chair (as required by KRS 160.345) may be made by anycouncil member at any regular meeting. A majority vote of the full council is required before the school council can seek an alternative model. A faculty vote must then be conducted, and the motion must pass by 2/3 in order to proceed with the model.
B. CHAIR
The principal shall be the chairperson of the school council (as required by KRS 160.345).
Duties of the chair include:
Conducting school council meetings
Serving as official custodian of council records
Stating when a consensus is present for the record
Coordinating standing and ad hoc committees
Carrying out any additional responsibilities as stated in these by-laws
Maintaining a file of all correspondence addressed to the school council (these
records may only be discarded after having been brought to two council meetings)
Other duties as described in these by-laws
C. VICE-CHAIR
Duties of the vice-chair shall include:
- Presiding over council meetings in the absence of the chair
- monitoring address timeand number of speakers if needed
- informing media of monthly meetings at least two weeks in advance
- In July, informs media of YEARLY meeting schedule
- Posts meeting notice day prior to meeting on bulletin board in foyer
- Logs volunteer hours in Volunteer Log
D. SECRETARY
A council secretary shall be appointed by the principal to keep minutes of all council
meetings and to maintain council records.
- compiles agendaemails to stakeholders, SBDM, & teachers at least one week prior to meeting;
- sends minutes to stakeholders at most one week after meeting (staff, PTSO president, SBDM, Superintendent, Supervisor of Instruction, those on agenda, those who request, etc.),
- ensures committee minutes are in SBDM packet,
- posts copy of SBDM minutes on Bulletin Board in foyer,
- compiles packet distributes to SBDM members; keeps records and updates office SBDM notebook
E. COUNCIL MEMBERS
Duties of council members include:
Knowing and adhering to the mission, philosophy, and goals of LivingstonCountyMiddle School
Attending all council meetings, both regular and special
Encouraging and requesting opinions from their constituencies
Supporting, promoting, and communicating council decisions
Seeking information independently and as needed about issues brought before the school council, and bringing that information to the council
Complete all training pursuant to KRS 160.345 (6).
ARTICLE V. COMMITTEES
A. PURPOSE
1. Standing and ad hoc committees are established to gain input from all stakeholders including certified and classified staff, parents, students, and community member (as required by KRS 160.345).
2. Standing and ad hoc committees shall serve as a council resource for gathering data and information and making recommendations to the school council.
B. APPOINTMENT OF COMMITTEES
1. Standing and ad hoc committees are formed and dissolved by the school council as needed (as required by KRS 160.345).
2. Standing committees can be dissolved only through the process of amending by-laws.
C. MEMBERSHIP & ELECTION OF CHAIR
1. Each committee shall consist of representatives from the faculty, support staff,
parents, and students and support staff are encouraged to volunteer as members.
2. Committee membership is open to interested persons (as required by KRS 160.345).
3. Committee membership shall be at least 5 persons, at the discretion of the school council.
4. Committee membership will include minority representatives.
5. Committees shall elect a chairperson from their membership and chair shall serve for a term of no longer than one year and is eligible for re-election with no term limits.
E. DECISION MAKING
Committee decisions shall be made by consensus. In the event that consensus is not possible, a majority of the committee may decide that an issue shall be decided by majority vote.
F. DUTIES
1. Committees shall carry out tasks assigned to them by the school council.
2. Committees may decide to bring issues of concern or interest to the school council.
3. Committees may research issues, gather school-wide input, or prepare first and
revised drafts of school council policies.
4. Committee chairs or their designees may report at regular council meetings, or as requested by the school council.
5. Committee chairs shall provide the council with written minutes of their meetings no later than 10 days after the meeting occurred.
G. MEETINGS
1. Each committee shall choose the time, place, agenda, and schedule for their
meetings (as required by KRS 160.345).
2. Committees must comply with all provisions of the Open Meetings and Open
Records laws (as required by KRS 160.345).
H. STANDING COMMITTEES
1. Standing committees for LivingstonCountyMiddle School shall include:
Academic Performance, Learning Environment, and Efficiency.
2. A list of standing committees, a brief description of their purpose, and a list of each committee’s membership shall be contained in Appendix A of this document.
VI. SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS
A. REGULAR MEETINGS
1. The regular monthly meeting of the Livingston County Middle School SBDM Council shall be the third Wednesday of every month. Council meetings shall be open to the public. Meetings will begin at 3:30 p.m. and end at 5:00 p.m. Meetings shall not exceed 90 minutes. If all items on the agenda have not been adequately discussed after 90 minutes, the council may decide by motion, second and majority vote to extend the length of the meeting or to place the remaining agenda items on the next month’s agenda or on the agenda for a special meeting.
2. The regular monthly meetings will be held at Livingston County Middle School in the Staff Work Room or the Cardinal Room.
3. The vice chair shall provide local news media of the council’s regular meetingschedule for the year in July, and provide notification of the council’s meeting time and agenda at least two weeks in advance of each regular meeting.
4. If the district distributes the district calendar, the principal shall notify parents of council meetings each month using the “Livingston County Schools Calendar and Handbook” which is to be distributed to all parents, by placing the words “School Council Meeting, 3:30 p.m.” in the appropriate days’ space on the calendar. Regular meetings will be conducted monthly. These will also be posted to the district’s website, Facebook, and Twitter accounts.
5. The secretary shall announce the meeting to SBDM parents by email at least one day in advance of the meeting. The notice shall include the preliminary agenda.
6. Thesecretaryshall notify teachers one day in advance of each council meeting including the time, place and agenda items. This agenda will be emailed to teachers.
7. The vice chair shall notify the public by notice posted on the bulletin board in theschool foyer at least one day in advance of the meeting.
B. SPECIAL MEETINGS
1. If the council needs to meet between regular meetings, or if the regular meeting is rescheduled, the chairperson or a majority of the school council members may call a special meeting. The chairperson must complete the following steps when a special meeting is called:
a. Written Notice: Contents. The chairperson shall prepare and sign a
written notice that states the date, time, and place of the special meeting
and the agenda for each meeting. Only the items on the agenda may be
discussed.
b. Delivery of Notice. The chairperson shall arrange for the notice to be
delivered to each council member and to any media organization that has
requested notice of council meetings. The delivery can be by email, hand, FAX
machine, or mail but the notice must be received at least 24 hours prior to
the time of the meeting.
c. Posting of Notice. The notice for the special meeting shall be posted by the chairperson on the bulletin board in the school foyer at least 24 hours prior to the time of the meeting. If the meeting will be held somewhere other than the school, the notice shall also be posted conspicuously at the other location.
2. In addition to these requirements, the principal shall announce to teachers the time and the reason for the special called meeting during announcements on the school’s PA system or email at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.
VII. CONDUCT OF MEETINGS
A. QUORUM
A quorum of the school council shall be a majority (more than one-half) of the number of seats on the school council. No council business shall be discussed or conducted unless a quorum of council members is present with representation from both parent and certified staff members.